Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Góc Nhà Tụi Mình Is Where Tea Time Feels Like Home

As a Đà Nẵng native, I often get asked where and what to eat and drink by friends who are in town. The tried-and-true list of places in my mind always includes Góc Nhà Tụi Mình, which I’ve frequented nearly constantly for the past six years.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: A Bún Bò in Huế That Rivals Even Saigon's Best Bún Bò Huế

Plastic stools circling low metal tables. Staff wearing pajamas and street clothes that match patrons welcomed from all walks of life. Meagre and/or mismatched decor. Views of street traffic with motorbike engines as soundtrack. Brief menus sometimes consisting of a single dish. A strict cash-only policy (until recent years, at least). Minimal concern for health-safety regulations. No artifice of chef as artist or meal as a masterpiece. While we can quibble over a specific, all-encompassing definition for streetfood restaurant, there are many qualities most will agree they share.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Đà Lạt's Nomadic 'Cafe' Has No Menu, No Store, and One Table

During a recent trip to Đà Lạt, a friend invited me for coffee at 5:30am. The frosty climate of the Central Highlands mornings concerned me, but upon hearing the pitch about a whimsical cafe that operates on a “now you see me, now you don’t” basis, I immediately said yes.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Quy Nhơn's Unique Take on Bánh Khọt and Peanut Sauce

You’ve probably never had bánh khọt like this before.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Dì Gái's Bún Chả Cá Is a Family Heirloom

Sometimes, for descendants of Central Vietnam, a bowl of steaming bún chả cá can even sooth the pain and misery of a storm-battered rainy season.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng's Sauce Is Good Enough to Drink

The secret is the sauce. And the sauce is a secret. The owners of Đà Nẵng’s Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng refuse to reveal the recipe for the rich, meaty, and multi-faceted sauce that falls somewhere between hex colors #A07212 and #A0522D. It elevates a familiar bánh xèo into a meal that draws in enough guests to have essentially taken over an entire downtown hẻm.

Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Nha Trang's 22-Year-Old Bánh Canh Cá Sings the Praises of the Sea

Traveling in Nha Trang wouldn't be complete without tasting this delicious bowl of bánh canh which makes you enjoy eating almost every part of the fish, from its meat to its organs.